Keeping California quail in groups

[Hughzd]

I would love to get some California valley quail, but I had a few questions first. Could they be kept in a larger flock in an aviary? If so, would they be able to breed in there or do they need to be separated for that? Thanks in advance.
Side note- does anyone know if they count as game birds in Texas? I would assume so, but I was reading up on it and I didn’t see them on the list. Thanks again.

 

[Mallards and Quail]

I would love to get some California valley quail, but I had a few questions first. Could they be kept in a larger flock in an aviary? If so, would they be able to breed in there or do they need to be separated for that? Thanks in advance.
Side note- does anyone know if they count as game birds in Texas? I would assume so, but I was reading up on it and I didn’t see them on the list. Thanks again.

They would do good together in an aviary if they were apart of the same group. What I mean is you should hatch some valleys or get valley chicks so that way they adjust to eachother before they get put into the aviary. They will get aggressive during breeding season so they must be separated into their appropriate pairs. They don't usually sit on their eggs in captivity, so the incubator will be your best friend. As far as the permit I don't know. I keep gambels and you need a permit for those.
@007Sean could probably answer the permit question.

 

[Hughzd]

T

They would do good together in an aviary if they were apart of the same group. What I mean is you should hatch some valleys or get valley chicks so that way they adjust to eachother before they get put into the aviary. They will get aggressive during breeding season so they must be separated into their appropriate pairs. They don't usually sit on their eggs in captivity, so the incubator will be your best friend. As far as the permit I don't know. I keep gambels and you need a permit for those.
@007Sean could probably answer the permit question.

Ok, thank you!

 

[Mallards and Quail]

T

Ok, thank you!

Your welcome

 

[Hughzd]

Your welcome

When you say separate them into their breeding groups, does that mean I could keep them in the aviary until breeding season and then separate them into their breeding pairs or trios?

 

[Mallards and Quail]

When you say separate them into their breeding groups, does that mean I could keep them in the aviary until breeding season and then separate them into their breeding pairs or trios?

Yes you can keep them in the aviary during the rest of the year besides breeding season. In the wild they get into cuveys to start looking for food after breeding season. They will do good in an aviary. When I said "separate them into their appropriate breeding pairs" I mean to look for the ones who are mating together because they don't just mate for one season they mate for life. During breeding season it is important to match the female to the male she is breeding with. If you find it hard to differentiate between the males look at the knots on their head, most males have a different looking knot than the other. For example knot one may drop lower and the other one may be shorter. Once you find the pairs I suggest banding the Male and female of the pair with the same color band so it is easier to tell the pairs apart in the future. It is not recommended to keep 3 quail together during breeding season, just keep them in their pairs and that will do.

 

[Hughzd]

Yes you can keep them in the aviary during the rest of the year besides breeding season. In the wild they get into cuveys to start looking for food after breeding season. They will do good in an aviary. When I said "separate them into their appropriate breeding pairs" I mean to look for the ones who are mating together because they don't just mate for one season they mate for life. During breeding season it is important to match the female to the male she is breeding with. If you find it hard to differentiate between the males look at the knots on their head, most males have a different looking knot than the other. For example knot one may drop lower and the other one may be shorter. Once you find the pairs I suggest banding the Male and female of the pair with the same color band so it is easier to tell thenpairs apart in the future. It is not recommended to keep 3 quail together during breeding season, just keep them in their pairs and that will do.

Ok, thank you for the info!

 

[007Sean]

Yes, Texas requires a Breeder license for all the new world quail, ie; Valley, Gambel, Blue Scale, Mearns, Mountain and all the color variations of Bobwhites.

 

[007Sean]

I would love to get some California valley quail, but I had a few questions first. Could they be kept in a larger flock in an aviary? If so, would they be able to breed in there or do they need to be separated for that? Thanks in advance.
Side note- does anyone know if they count as game birds in Texas? I would assume so, but I was reading up on it and I didn’t see them on the list. Thanks again.

If you have a very large, well landscaped aviary, you can keep a large amount of birds, if and only if they get along ok and you limit the number of males you run with the hens. It's really a trial and error type deal.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

I currently keep a trio of Valleys together in a small aviary (don't have the measurements off the top if my head). They've even been through a breeding season together and there did not appear to be any issues. I am not 100% sure it'll stay like that but I do intend to extend it with the option for separation.